I’ve traveled to the Peoples Republic of China three times, and each time found rapid
changes in the prosperity and modernity of the cities. In 2008 I was invited to serve
as guest curator at First Street Gallery in New York City, and co-organized Beijing
Now: Oil Paintings by Twelve Chinese Artists. I was impressed with the way Wang Hongzheng’s
painting captured the artist's impression of Beijing at a moment right before the
2008 Summer Olympics, and the way it conveys a sense of the simultaneous gain and
loss resulting from change. I included this painting in the exhibit, and bought the
piece later on…. I selected this painting for the Muse at Home show because it was
painted by a young artist, close in age to our students at Skidmore.Doretta Miller, 2012